Orange Avenue Splash Zone (Paramount)

14618 Orange Ave, Paramount

A nice splash pad with lots of water structures, tends to get crowded as well.

Hours:

Weekdays: 12:30–4pm

Weekends: 11am–2pm

Stanton Central Park (Stanton)

10660 Western Ave. Stanton

If you’re up for just a bit of a drive, this is one of our fave near-ish splash pads. It’s right next to this massive train-themed playground too, has a decent amount of shade, and even has a mini ropes course play area for kids.

Hours:

Daily: Noon–5pm

Wilmington Waterfront Park (Wilmington)

1004 W C Street, Wilmington

A pretty simple splash pad that’s adjacent to a bigger playground, the main drawback is a serious lack of shade.

Atlantis Play Center (Garden Grove)

13630 Atlantis Way, Garden Grove

The only one on this list that isn’t 100% free, Atlantis Play Center in Garden Grove will run you $2 for kids 3 and up,  though 2 and under are still free.

Hours:

Tuesday-Saturday: 10am–3pm

Sunday: Noon–4pm

Closed Mondays

Sigler Park Splash Pad (Westminster)

7200 Plaza St, Westminster

A nice, enclosed splash pad with tons of amenities. One of our personal faves, though it does get crowded.

Hours:

Noon–5pm Daily

Cerritos Library (Cerritos)

18025 Bloomfield Ave, Cerritos

A small splash pad that seems like it may have originally been intended as just a decorative fountain, but it works well after a visit to the library on a hot day.

Liberty Park (Cerritos) 

19211 Studebaker Rd, Cerritos

One of the better, more inteacrtive splash pads around, our kids love filling up the water bucket for a big splash!

Cerritos Park East (Cerritos)

13234 E 166th St, Cerritos

A tiny splash pad perfect for toddlers, you need to go into the office to ask them to turn it on for you.

Hours:

1–4pm Daily

Westgate Park (Cerritos)

18830 San Gabriel Ave, Cerritos

Another small one, and same deal with several of these Cerritos splash pads: you need to go into the office to ask them to turn it on for you.

Hours:

1–4pm Daily

Wading Pools

We may not have splash pads, but Lakewood has wading pools in abundance. And they area all free! They are super fun for very small kids and babies, the only downside is on those super hot days the water feels like a warm bath.

Lakewood Wading Pools

They also have odd hours, so heads up:

Open 11am – 4pm daily:

• Mayfair Park
• Palms Park Handicapped accessible

Open 11am–4pm Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday:

• Del Valle Park
• San Martin Park

Open 11am–4pm Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday:

• Bloomfield Park
• Mae Boyar Park

Wading Pool Wednesdays

The wading pools at Mae Boyar Park, Del Valle Park, Mayfair Park and San Martin Park are typically open from 5–7:30pm on Wednesday evenings.

Ruth R. Caruthers Park (Bellflower)

10500 E. Flora Vista Street, Bellflower

A free wading pool in Bellflower that often is overlooked and doesn’t get all too crowded.

Closed Summer 2019 for renovations

Don Knabe Regional Park (Cerritos)

19700 Bloomfield Ave, Cerritos

This one is attached to a larger public swimming pool that is also free. It’s probably one of the bigger wading pools, and does get crowded on hot days, but it’s nice that it’s part of the bigger pool complex if you want to go to the deep end too.

Kid-Friendly Beaches

Mother’s Beach

Appian Way below 2nd St., Long Beach

This is the popular beach for kiddos in and around Long Beach. It has picnic setups and a playground as well. Parking can get tough, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a more kid-friendly, waveless beach location.

Colorado Lagoon

5119 E Colorado St., Long Beach

A recently-restored natural wetland that serves as a perfect watering hole for families. A little more river-like than an ocean beach, but still perfect on a hot day. There’s also a nicely shaded playground here.

Alamitos Bay Beach

Ocean & Bayshore, Long Beach

There’s a nice playground here and in Summer 2018 they added an awesome and free inflatable water playground for kids who are able to swim. Highly recommended.

Public Pools

Hang tight we’re wrapping up this list soon with public and private pools we recommend.